


the key to success

by malafelis



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-24 17:01:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22121359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malafelis/pseuds/malafelis
Summary: "13 headcanon: she gets mad cause she can't reach shelves and forces everyone to lift her"
Relationships: Thirteenth Doctor & Ryan Sinclair, Thirteenth Doctor & Yasmin Khan
Kudos: 37





	the key to success

**Author's Note:**

> another old prompt fill! any inaccuracies are because i wrote this before s11 :^)  
> more prompts accepted at whoify.tumblr.com

They were trapped in a cupboard.

This isn’t how Ryan thought his first adventure would go, crammed shoulder-to-shoulder with two women whom he was trying very hard not to elbow, hardly able to see a thing in the dim glow cast by the lightbulb hanging some feet above them.

“Thanks for this, Doctor,” Yasmin said from behind him, and Ryan could detect a hint of real annoyance under her sarcastic tone. The Doctor huffed from in front of him— his nose was pressed into the back of her head.

“Well, how was I supposed to know that I’m ‘banned from the 36th century?’” the Doctor snapped back. “And anyway, I’m going to get us out of here, so stop your moaning.”

The two women continued bickering (like an old married couple, Ryan thought to himself), but something else had caught his attention: Towards the top of the wall, there was a dusty, narrow shelf. And on that shelf, he swore he could see something gleaming in the quivering light, something that looked suspiciously like a key…

“Doctor! Oi, Doctor!” Ryan prodded her in the back, cutting off a retort to Yasmin. “I think I can see a key, up on that there shelf. Think we can reach it?”

The Doctor, closest to the wall, craned her head back to look up to the place Ryan indicated. A smug smile spread across her face. “Brilliant! See Yaz? We’re out!” And with that, she thrust up her hands (nearly taking out Ryan’s eye) and grasped for the key— except, her hands stopped a good six inches below the shelf.

She hopped up and down pointlessly, grunting as she landed on Ryan’s toes repeatedly. “Okay, new plan, Ryan, you reach it,” the Doctor said, turning her head to try and glance at him.

Ryan stuck out his arm, but to no avail. “I can’t, look, I’m not close enough.” His arm reached the height of the shelf easily enough, but he was not near enough to the wall to be able to grab the key.

He heard Yasmin sigh loudly behind him, followed by an exasperated proclamation of “Great, back to square one.”

“No, hang on, Ryan, if you lift me I think we can manage!” the Doctor said excitedly, bouncing up and down once again. Ryan hesitated. The Doctor was something like a super-rare Lord of Time— what if he dropped her? Wouldn’t she like, explode?

“Go on, then!” Ryan exhaled, resigning himself to the task at hand. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hoisted her up against his chest, so his face was smashed into the back of her coat. The Doctor struggled for a moment (kicking Ryan in the shin in the process), straining to reach the gleaming bit of metal. And then— “Aha!”

Ryan let her go, and she miraculously landed on her feet. The key was passed over his head to Yasmin, nearest to the door, who fumbled with it for a moment before the door burst open, flooding the room with blinding light.

The three spilled out of the tiny closet— right into the path of three armed guards. The Doctor seized Yasmin’s hand and said, with a glimmer in her eye, “Run!”


End file.
